Page 11 of Her Bossy Wolf Protector

“Is everything alright? You seem to be distracted by something other than the subject of this meeting. Do you need to leave?”

I’m taken aback by his tone and the implication that I’m not fully engaged in the meeting. It’s a professional setting, but how he addresses me makes me feel like a scolded child.

“No sir,” I respond, trying to assert myself, though my words come out more meekly than I’d like. “I was just... checking something briefly.”

Gabriel’s eyebrows arch ever so slightly, his piercing gaze unrelenting. “Is it something that can wait until after the meeting? This is an important discussion, and we really need your full attention.”

I bristle at his demeanor, feeling as if I’ve been chastised. “I understand,” I retort.

The tension in the room is palpable, and I can sense everyone’s discomfort, as they continue to cast furtive glances in my direction.

He leans back in his chair, studying me with an inscrutable expression. “Good,” he finally concedes, his tone slightly softer. “Let’s continue.”

I return my attention to the meeting, but internally I am fuming. He is nothing like the man I think I saw in the alleyway. He had been a beast then, but he had seemed gentler somehow.

I shiver at the memory of him tucking my hair back.

Ugh! What is going on, and where the hell is Alyssa?I really need my friend right now.

Paying attention to the meeting requires all my effort, with this unease lingering in the back of my mind.

As I head for my meeting with Gabriel that afternoon, I am told he is held up with work and unreachable. His assistant informs me that he will set up the meeting once he has the time.

I head back to my office, disappointed.

The growing unease I feel has only intensified after the unsettling encounter with Gabriel during the meeting. I need a confidant, someone to talk to, and the first person who comes to mind is my best friend, Alyssa. She’s always been there for me, a trusted friend and a shoulder to lean on. But she seems to be icing me out, and I don’t understand why.

Despite not answering my phone calls and texts, I decide to try to give her some space and try again tomorrow. I don’t know why she would be this mad at me, but I’m determined to make amends.

It’s now Wednesday, and I anxiously tap the phone’s screen and dial her number again. Still no answer.

It’s unusual for Alyssa not to answer her phone, especially for this long. My worry deepens with each unsuccessful attempt to reach her throughout the day. She has never been unresponsive for this long.

I try again, but the result is the same—a series of unanswered calls and growing concern.

By the end of the day, with my calls still going unanswered, my concern escalates to full-blown anxiety. Something is definitely wrong, and I need to find out what.

I leave the office and head straight to her apartment building. My heart is pounding as I ring the buzzer. A neighbor, a middle-aged man named Mr. Jenkins, opens the door. He’s known Alyssa and me for years and is usually quite chatty.

“Hey there,” I begin, masking my concern through a forced smile. “Have you seen Alyssa lately? I’ve been trying to get in touch with her, but she’s not answering her phone.”

“Hmmm? I thought something was off. Yesterday was trash day, and she never brought out her garbage. I assumed she was with you.”

“No, Mr Jenkins. The last I saw her was Sunday.”

Mr Jenkins rubs his palms together, his expression growing somber as he shakes his head slowly. “I haven’t seen her since that night the two of you went out to celebrate. That was Sunday, right?”

“Yeah. You haven’t seen her since?”

“Nope. I thought the two of you must’ve gone on a vacation or something.”

My heart sinks at his words.

Where the hell is she?

I try to piece together my memories of that night. I remember the pub and the bartender she had been flirting with—Jake, I think his name was. Alyssa had been quite taken with him, and it seemed like they hit it off.

A sense of foreboding takes hold. I thank the neighbor and rush back to my car. Panic sets in. I have to report this to the police.

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